Hi all, I have almost no knowledge of electronics - googled for this forum! I can just about solder and I know what I want to achieve! Ok two questions:
I am a skydiver, starting to work a camera man next year, and building my helmet fitted with a stills SLR camera. I had an idea to use a shutter release cable, rewired to an ON - OFF switch button. So I would press the button once to connect the contacts and the shutter is triggered taking a shot every 0.5 seconds until I next push the button to break the circuit.
Problem one : On searching the WHOLE of the internet I cannot find an ON / OFF button that would suit - they ALL are a panel fit type with exposed connectors on the rear, sticking out at least an inch. This would'nt be great should the helmet impact my head! So I need quite a flat surface mount button, or one than is enclosed and fitted on the inside - any suggestions? I am in the UK.
The best I could find was this from Judco. Good but its 3cm tall and would stick out too far:
The second question - falling at 200mph I may not know if the camera shutter is engaged or not by sound alone - it would be fantastic if I could run an LED to show if the camera is shooting or not. I looked at a pin readout from the camera USB port, and one did supply 3v - however I'm really not sure how to make use of this. It might be easier to take the power from a seperate very small battery to power an LED (I guess it would last forever), but I do not know how to even do something this simple, If I wired the batter and LED straight intop the switch I guess it would send the current down into the cameras USB!
Not sure if that's clear.
INFO:
Camera:
Olympus E-PL5 with a UC1 USB Port
Pin Read Out (I think!!):
1 - USB DATA +
2 - USB DATA -
3 - Shutter Release (when combined with 11)
4 - Audio - Center (?)
5 - Video Center
6 -
7 - Video Shield
8 -
9 - Audio Shield
10 - USB -ve
11 - Auto Focus, Meter (half press of shutter release button)
12 - USB +5ve
Shell - Ground, USB ground
Now here is a lead a friend has with the right kind of button, and a built in LED / fiberoptic indicator. However it is a smart switch designed for use with Sony camcorders, but it gives the idea....
thanks!
I am a skydiver, starting to work a camera man next year, and building my helmet fitted with a stills SLR camera. I had an idea to use a shutter release cable, rewired to an ON - OFF switch button. So I would press the button once to connect the contacts and the shutter is triggered taking a shot every 0.5 seconds until I next push the button to break the circuit.
Problem one : On searching the WHOLE of the internet I cannot find an ON / OFF button that would suit - they ALL are a panel fit type with exposed connectors on the rear, sticking out at least an inch. This would'nt be great should the helmet impact my head! So I need quite a flat surface mount button, or one than is enclosed and fitted on the inside - any suggestions? I am in the UK.
The best I could find was this from Judco. Good but its 3cm tall and would stick out too far:
The second question - falling at 200mph I may not know if the camera shutter is engaged or not by sound alone - it would be fantastic if I could run an LED to show if the camera is shooting or not. I looked at a pin readout from the camera USB port, and one did supply 3v - however I'm really not sure how to make use of this. It might be easier to take the power from a seperate very small battery to power an LED (I guess it would last forever), but I do not know how to even do something this simple, If I wired the batter and LED straight intop the switch I guess it would send the current down into the cameras USB!
Not sure if that's clear.
INFO:
Camera:
Olympus E-PL5 with a UC1 USB Port
Pin Read Out (I think!!):
1 - USB DATA +
2 - USB DATA -
3 - Shutter Release (when combined with 11)
4 - Audio - Center (?)
5 - Video Center
6 -
7 - Video Shield
8 -
9 - Audio Shield
10 - USB -ve
11 - Auto Focus, Meter (half press of shutter release button)
12 - USB +5ve
Shell - Ground, USB ground
Now here is a lead a friend has with the right kind of button, and a built in LED / fiberoptic indicator. However it is a smart switch designed for use with Sony camcorders, but it gives the idea....
thanks!
